Mistakes in the past
by xXSakura-Hime-SamaXx
Summary: He'd ruined her once, driven her to do the unthinkable…he wasn't going to just throw this second chance away.


**This fic was inspired by a prompt sent to me on Tumblr by 'Bloodmoon Goddess', a very lovely lady if I do say so myself! If you have any prompts you'd like me to try my hand at, feel free to send me an ask on my Tumblr (Stonemedusa)**

**The Prompt:** _Prompt from my dream: Sakura is sent to the future where Madara rules the lands. His wife Sakura, her future, committed suicide, so when he spots her past self, he sees a second chance. And this time, he won't let her escape._

* * *

He was in shock upon discovering the crumpled form in his house.

Suspicious when he saw the feminine clothes.

And awestruck when the pink head of hair was revealed.

"S-Sakura…"

000

_He'd forced this onto her with no regret, no care for her feelings, demanding her hand in exchange for 'peace' between the alliance and his army._

_He had no problem with ruining her in the beginning, denying her requests and mocking her attempts at escaping._

_He mocked, taunted and tainted her once innocent mind, twisting her until she wasn't even a shadow of her former self._

_He wasn't supposed to care for her though, he wasn't supposed to come to love her._

_By the time he realized his feelings though, it was too late._

_The damage was already done._

000

He wasn't going to lose her again, not this time. He kept his distance, hid himself when she wandered his home, interacting with the staff.

But he always watched.

His hopeful eyes never leaving her familiar form, going as far as to ignore council briefings and war summits to keep an eye on her.

She wasn't leaving him this time, she wasn't going to die.

Slowly, so slowly that it hurt sometimes, he introduced himself again, and a nod in the hallway turned to a wave and smile.

A short greeting turned into a small conversation, which in turn, turned into tea being shared in the afternoons.

He was slowly but surely winning her over again, he wasn't about to make the same mistakes twice. He wouldn't leave her alone to die, he wouldn't give her the chance to love another and he wouldn't let that anyone whisper doubts in her ear.

Not this time.

"Madara-kun, I have to ask…do I know you from somewhere?" had passed her soft, tempting lips one day as they shared a meal, her head tilting cutely to the side in confusion as her eyes locked with his.

000

_A hanging figure flashed across his mind, limp pink hair mercifully hiding wide bloodshot eyes as her feet dangled above the floor._

_She'd done it in his office, right in front of the window he loved to gaze out of._

_She did it to spite him, to taunt him as he did her._

_That was the first time he'd ever broken down and cried, the thud of her body hitting the wall behind her a perverse background noise to his sobs._

_He'd never be rid of that sound._

000

"No Sakura-chan, I don't believe we've met prior to your arrival. Maybe you're confusing me with someone else…" She wasn't though, she subconsciously knew just how evil he was, having fought against him just prior to her arrival.

Red eyes clashed against green as his chakra flared subtly, his sharingan spinning to life as her eyes glazed and cleared in a fraction of a second.

A sheepish smile came to her face as she let out a light laugh, a laugh he loved so dearly.

"You're right Madara-kun, I'm just being silly."

He loved her so much…

000

_He stood before the cherry tree, the flowers dark as the sun sank in the distance._

_He'd give anything for another chance, anything for just one more moment with her._

_Longingly running his fingers over the carving in the wood, Madara closed his eyes tightly before turning away, his long hair trailing behind him as he made his way back towards the silent house._

_He was a monster, he destroyed everything he loved._

_But he just wanted one more moment with her, one more chance to apologise._

000

"Sakura?" he questioned later that week as they sat out underneath the stars, the warm air ruffling their hair as she lazily played with a few scattered flowers.

"Hmmm?"

"I'm sorry…I'm so god damn sorry…."

"Madara? Madara, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"I'm so sorry…for everything."

"Please tell me what's wrong, you're scaring me…"

He reached over and pulled her startled form against himself, his face sinking into her shoulder as he continued sobbing quietly, his guilt increasing with every soothing word she whispered into his ear as her hand stroked his hair.

He'd never tell her why he broke down that day, just like he'd never tell her why he fired all of the staff.

Or why men in masks always tried to break into the house, why she felt sad whenever she saw something orange and yellow. He didn't even tell her why he burned down his office and half of the building three months later.

He really was a monster, but he'd shelter her innocence for as long as he could, just like he failed to do last time.

"Hey Madara-kun, who's that pink haired woman outside near the cherry tree?...Huh, we look very similar, maybe she's a cousin of mine? I should go and talk to her!"

Red eyes snapped open in terror as Sakura made her way outside quickly, her happy smile haunting him as he turned his gaze to the tree slowly, horrified at what he might see.

Nothing.

He caught the pinkette's arm, pulling her back inside as he glared at the barren tree.

No pink haired shadow of his past was standing there.

No glazed over eyes or limp hair taunting him with its lifelessness.

There was nothing near the tree.

"Madara? I want to introduce myself, it'd be rude not to."

Nothing but an innocent rope dangling playfully from one of the higher branches, taunting him as it slowly waved back and forth in the breeze, the noose at the end tapping against the trunk with a very familiar:

_Thud._

_Thud._

_**Thud.**_


End file.
